Research & Health

Policy on Missed Appointments

Failing to turn up for an appointment and not contacting the surgery to cancel it has an adverse effect on other patients and the smooth running of the surgery. It leads to:

An increase in the waiting time for appointments

Frustration for both staff and patients

A waste of resources

A potential risk to others’ health

People who book appointments and then fail to attend may mean that they are not able to see the doctor on their preferred day.

In an attempt to try and resolve this, the practice has in place the following policy:

If you fail to attend more than 2 appointments in a row, or over a short period of time, we will write to you to remind you of our policy on missed appointments.

If you repeatedly fail to attend for appointments after you have been reminded of our policy and the impact of missing appointments without cancelling them you may be removed from the practice list and have to find an alternative GP practice.

It is in your best interests as a patient of the surgery that you attend your appointments, or let us know if you cannot.